Best American Single Malt Whiskeys for Drinking While Grilling Steaks
Best American Single Malt Whiskeys for Drinking While Grilling Steaks
American single malt whiskey is one of the fastest-growing categories in the United States, built on a simple but demanding foundation: 100% malted barley, distilled at a single U.S. distillery, and aged in oak casks of no more than 700 liters. The TTB finally established an official standard of identity for the category in December 2024, giving distillers across the country a legal framework that Scotland and Kentucky have long enjoyed. What makes these whiskeys such natural companions to grilled steak is their range — from the rich, toasted-oak sweetness of Pacific Northwest expressions to the bold, intense character of Texas craft releases, the category offers something for every cut on the grate. The malt-forward profiles, with their interplay of chocolate, stone fruit, vanilla, and smoke, complement the charred, savory depth of a well-seared steak in ways that bourbon or rye rarely can.
Westland American Single Malt: Seattle's Benchmark Dram
Founded in Seattle's SoDo district in 2010 by Matt Hofmann — who studied brewing and distilling at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh — Westland built its reputation entirely on single malt whiskey at a time when almost no one in America was doing so. The flagship expression is distilled from a signature five-malt barley bill that includes Washington Select Pale Malt, Munich Malt, Extra Special Malt, Pale Chocolate Malt, and Brown Malt, then aged for a minimum of 40 months in a combination of new American oak, ex-bourbon, and ex-Oloroso sherry casks. On the nose it delivers maple syrup, green apple, and milk chocolate, followed by orange peel and vanilla custard; the palate is silky and full, with bittersweet malt, praline, and baking spice before a finish of clove and light smoke. One reviewer noted that a glass of it neat pairs particularly well with something hearty, like a steak — and it's easy to see why, since that toasted-oak backbone holds its ground against char and fat. Buy it now!
Stranahan's Original: Colorado's Rocky Mountain Pioneer
Stranahan's origin story begins with a barn fire: volunteer firefighter Jess Graber responded to a blaze on the property of George Stranahan, a brewery owner and whiskey enthusiast, and the two men forged a friendship over their shared love of fine whiskey that led to the distillery's founding in 2004. It became Colorado's first legal whiskey distillery since Prohibition and was one of the first American single malts to achieve national distribution, using just four ingredients: 100% malted barley, yeast, new charred American oak barrels, and Rocky Mountain water. The current bottling is a blend of up to 20 barrels ranging from two to five years of age, bottled at 94 proof (46% ABV). On the nose you get vanilla, apple butter, and a sweet malt richness; the palate brings apricot, kiwi, malty caramel, and black pepper spice, with a finish of banana, coconut, and chocolate-covered hazelnut — an approachable, distinctive pour that holds up beautifully next to the smoky, savory depth of a grilled ribeye. Buy it now!
Balcones '1': The Bold, Unapologetic Texas Original
Founded in 2008 in a former welding shop under a bridge in Waco, Texas, Balcones began distilling in 2009 using stills that founder Chip Tate designed and built himself, quickly drawing attention from whiskey aficionados for doing things differently. Balcones '1' Texas Single Malt is the distillery's flagship spirit, made with 100% malted barley including Texas-grown grain and Golden Promise barley, distilled in copper pot stills, aged in new American oak, and bottled non-chill filtered at a robust proof that amplifies the whiskey's diverse, intense character. Tasting notes from Whisky Advocate describe aromas of tropical fruits like mango, pineapple, and jackfruit, with a palate of cocoa powder, drying nuttiness, and a finish of kiwi, jackfruit, and vanilla bean. Wine Enthusiast awarded a batch produced with Golden Promise malt and bottled by independent bottler Lost Lantern 96 points, calling out vanilla, caramel, allspice, clove, espresso, and hints of cayenne — a profile tailor-made for a Texas-style brisket or a thick, bone-in cowboy steak hot off the grill. Buy it now!
Westward Whiskey: Portland's Ale-Brewed, Bourbon-Aged Malt
Westward Whiskey hails from Portland, Oregon, and has been producing American single malts for 20 years, earning a reputation as one of the category's true trailblazers. What sets the distillery apart is its unusual production method: the base is brewed like an American ale using locally malted barley and ale yeast, then distilled like a single malt and aged like a bourbon in new, heavily toasted American oak barrels with a light char. All Westward whiskeys are twice distilled in custom-made pot stills, and the result is a whiskey with a rich, expressive character — aromas of pineapple and apricot lead to peach pie, orange zest, and graham cracker on the palate. The cask-strength version, bottled at 125 proof, ramps up that profile to a higher intensity and earned a spot on Breaking Bourbon's Best of the Year list in 2022, but even the standard expression is a serious, food-friendly pour that more than holds its own beside a charcoal-grilled New York strip. Buy it now!
Virginia Distillery Co. Courage & Conviction: Blue Ridge Mountain Malt
Virginia Distillery Company was founded in 2011 by the late Dr. George G. Moore, a native Irishman with a lifelong passion for single malt whisky, who chose the Blue Ridge Mountains of Lovingston, Virginia as the site for his American dream distillery. The flagship Courage & Conviction expression is aged a minimum of three years across three cask types — ex-bourbon, Oloroso sherry, and cuvée (red wine) barrels — and is bottled at 46% ABV, with Virginia's dynamic seasonal temperature swings helping to drive deep interaction between spirit and wood. The nose brings honey, lemon zest, dried apricot, and vanilla; the palate is soft and layered with honey-drizzle pound cake, coconut, lavender, and raisins, finishing with ginger spice and a gentle warmth. The distillery's copper pot stills were brought in from Scotland, giving the whisky a smooth, refined texture that reviewers note is reminiscent of the more robust end of Irish whiskey — elegant enough for sipping neat beside a slow-cooked tomahawk steak. Buy it now!
Westland Garryana: Pacific Northwest Terroir in a Bottle
Westland's Garryana series is one of the most distinctive annual limited releases in the entire American whiskey category, built around Quercus garryana — Oregon white oak, a species native to the Pacific Northwest that imparts flavors no other oak in the world replicates. The latest edition, the 10th Anniversary, blends Westland's signature five-malt base and Washington pale malt, aged in first and second-fill Garry oak barrels and supported with single malt finished in Pedro Ximenez, rum, and ex-bourbon barrels. The resulting whiskey is wholly unique: reviewers describe a raspberry and cream nose, a woody and peppery palate with honey, sassafras, and raising bread, finishing with clove, smoke, and orange peel. With only a limited number of bottles produced each year, the Garryana series represents the highest expression of Westland's commitment to place-driven distilling, and the smoky, resinous oak character makes it a fascinating companion to a wood-fired steak. Buy it now!
New Riff Kentucky Single Malt: Bourbon Country Goes Malt
Newport, Kentucky-based New Riff Distilling takes its deep bourbon-country roots and applies them to 100% malted barley with characteristically Kentucky results — its co-founder Jay Erisman describes it plainly: 'It's inspired by Scotch, it's inspired by beer, but we make it like Kentucky.' The distillery leaned into its brewery roots so hard that it hired a distiller away from Boston Beer Company and built a production setup using a column beer still and doubler, resulting in a finished whiskey that is, in reviewers' words, malty, nutty, and full-bodied. New Riff was also among the founding members of the American Single Malt Whiskey Commission in 2016, helping push for the official TTB designation that finally arrived in 2024. The Kentucky climate, with its dramatic seasonal swings, extracts significant character from the oak — and that bold, grain-forward structure, backed by vanilla and toasted nut, makes New Riff's single malt a natural pour when beef and fire are involved. Buy it now!
Copperworks Seattle: Small-Batch Precision on the Puget Sound
Copperworks Distilling Co. has been operating out of downtown Seattle since 2013, focusing exclusively on single malt whiskey and varying each release across three key axes: the variety of barley used, aging time, and the characteristics of the barrels chosen. The distillery's Special Release Red Wine Cask — made from Genie malt sourced from Athena, Oregon, a two-row malting barley known among craft brewers for its light, clean malt flavor — was aged for just over six years in a French oak cask that previously held red wine and earned recognition on Breaking Bourbon's Best American Single Malts of 2025 list. That expression delivers prominent fruit leather and rich, dark red fruit notes throughout, with a malty undertone that weaves through the sip and an overall profile described as both unique and satisfyingly rich. The distillery's attention to barley provenance and barrel selection at this small scale produces whiskeys that reward close attention — making Copperworks an ideal pour for slowing down at the grill with something worth savoring. Buy it now!
Westland Peated: Pacific Northwest Smoke with Scottish Roots
While Westland's flagship relies on its five-malt grain bill aged in American oak, the Peated expression introduces Baird's Heavily Peated Malt from Scotland into the mashbill alongside the distillery's Washington Select Pale Malt — resulting in a rare whiskey that bridges two worlds. Bottled at 50% ABV, it delivers a light-gold pour with a smoky scent and an iodine whiff that is genuinely reminiscent of a peated Scotch, yet carries the distinct imprint of the Pacific Northwest in its distillery character. Wine Enthusiast noted that this bottling features peated barley distilled in Oregon and aged in Oregon oak, resulting in a spirit that is simultaneously familiar and entirely American. The light peat here is not overwhelming but beautifully purposeful — it mirrors the char and smoke of a charcoal grill, making this the single most obviously food-matched whiskey in the entire American single malt category, especially alongside a heavily seasoned, smoky flank steak.
Stranahan's Mountain Angel 12 Year: Denver's Grown-Up Statement
Stranahan's Mountain Angel 12 Year marks a major milestone for the Denver distillery — a nationwide, non-allocated release that demonstrates just how far American single malt has come since the distillery first bottled Colorado whiskey in 2006. At 94.6 proof and carrying a 12-year age statement, it represents a watershed moment for craft whiskey: aged malt whiskey from a well-established American distillery available broadly at a price that respects the category's growth. The whiskey is built on Stranahan's grain-to-glass philosophy using Rocky Mountain water and 100% malted barley aged in new charred American oak barrels, with the extended age statement allowing the deep barrel influence — vanilla, dried fruit, toasted nuts, and warming oak spice — to integrate fully with the base spirit. Where the Original expression leans young and approachable, Mountain Angel delivers the complexity and patience to match the seriousness of a well-aged prime ribeye fresh off the coals.
VDC Courage & Conviction Sherry Cask: Rich, Fruit-Forward Finish
The Virginia Distillery Co. Sherry Cask expression takes the house-style malted barley spirit — produced in copper pot stills at the Lovingston, Virginia distillery using spring water from the Blue Ridge Mountains — and matures it entirely in Oloroso sherry casks, pushing the fruit-forward character of the standard Courage & Conviction into more concentrated, indulgent territory. Wine Enthusiast awarded the Tawny Port cask version of this range 96 points, describing tart dried cherry and cranberry opening into cocoa, toffee, a welcome bitter-espresso hint, and a warming finish of cinnamon and clove. The distillery's founder, Dr. George G. Moore, built Virginia Distillery Co. in the Irish tradition — using copper pot stills imported from Scotland and an instinct for wine-cask finishes that makes the whisky feel distinctly Old World in character despite being thoroughly American in production. A glass alongside a reverse-seared bone-in steak with a herb butter finish is a pairing that few whiskeys in any category could rival. Buy it now!
Balcones Lineage: Texas-Grown Barley, Tropical Fruit Fireworks
While Balcones '1' is the brand's heavyweight flagship, Lineage is the distillery's most accessible and food-friendly entry point into the Texas single malt world — and arguably the more versatile companion at the grill. Made from a blend of Texas-grown malted barley and Golden Promise malted barley, then aged in a combination of refill and new oak barrels and bottled at 47% ABV, Lineage shows a markedly different face than the '1': Whisky Advocate notes a nose of tropical fruits — mango, pineapple, and jackfruit — with a palate that continues the fruity theme alongside cocoa powder and a drying nuttiness, finishing with kiwi, jackfruit, and vanilla bean. Founded in Waco and now operating out of a purpose-built distillery five blocks from its original location, Balcones remains one of the most decorated craft distilleries in the American single malt space — a co-founder of the American Single Malt Whiskey Commission and a consistent presence on best-of lists. Lineage's bright, tropical profile cuts beautifully through the rich fat of a grilled strip steak. Buy it now!
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